The installation of a glazing product, such as a sheet of glass, a sheet of plastic, a ventilator and the like in an opening typically involves the use of a plurality of framing members for supporting the glazing product about its edges. The term glazing product, as commonly used in the glazing industry and as used herein, means any product which is installed in a frame erected in a wall opening or the like. The terms "glazed window" or "window", as used herein unless otherwise indicated from the context, means an assembly comprising a glazing product glazed in a frame.
Windows may comprise a single sheet of glazing product which is supported about its edges by a plurality of framing members or they may comprise two or more sheets of glazing product, in which case there is further provided a framing member called a mullion for joining the sheets.
The installation or erection of windows may take several forms depending on the particular type of windows, the number and arrangement of the windows and the nature of the opening in which they are erected. In one type of erection, a part of the framing members used for supporting the windows is installed in the opening. The glazing product is then inserted and a glazing stop attached for retaining the glazing product in the frame. Caulking, putty or other sealants are then inserted between the framing members and the glazing product to seal the window against the weather.
The erection of windows in the manner just described is time-consuming and costly because of the labor involved. This is particularly true in the erection of windows in high-rise buildings because of the precautions that must be taken in transporting unsupported glass sheets.
Principally for these reasons, the glazing industry has turned to a more efficient method of erecting windows in which the windows are factory glazed. That is, the glazing products are glazed in their framing members before being taken to the job site. Once at the job site, they are installed over a pre-installed sub-framing member or otherwise fixed in a prepared opening.
The present invention is in part related to these types of windows--that is, to novel window frame assemblies which may be pre-glazed at the factory.
With the advent of new glazing products and because of the aesthetic and beneficial characteristics of windows, windows are being used more frequently in place of steel bars and the like for enclosing openings in security areas, such as prisons, warehouses, and the like.
When used in such applications, it is obviously necessary to prevent entry of the window. This requires not only the use of an unbreakable glazing product but also the employment of means for preventing destruction of the framing members holding the glazing product.
Presently, the most widely used materials for window framing members are aluminum and relatively thin steel. Both of these materials are relatively easy to saw or otherwise cut. Consequently, so far as it appears, others, heretofore, have been dissuaded from attempting to replace barred openings and the like with ordinary appearing, but much more aesthetically pleasing windows on a large scale.
To prevent a successful entry through a window using such framing materials, the present invention employs rotatable rod members in each of the framing members.
The use of rotatable rod members is known to have been proposed long ago for use in prison bars and the like for preventing the successful sawing or cutting thereof, but so far as is known, no one heretofore has suggested their use for preventing the destruction of an otherwise relatively easily destructable window framing member.